1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which forms an image on a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, for the purpose of reducing a space for installation, an image forming apparatus of so-called in-body discharging type has been available which has a sheet-discharging space in a main body of the image forming apparatus for discharging a sheet on which an image is formed. Usually, the sheet-discharging space is open on a front side of the main body of the image forming apparatus, and a user takes out a sheet which is discharged to a tray as a bottom from an open side.
Further, a patent document (Japanese Patent No. 3556558) discloses an image forming apparatus which has a stapler for stapling a sheet in a main body. The image forming apparatus includes a post-processing tray, on which a sheet to be stapled is temporarily placed, on an upper portion in a discharging space.
In the image forming apparatus like the one disclosed in the patent document, the stapler is provided on a front side (front) of the apparatus so that a user can easily replenish staples. Also, in the image forming apparatus, there are provided a pair of pull-over cursors which move a sheet placed on the post-processing tray to a direction which is orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction (forward direction in the apparatus), and the pull-over cursors move in a direction orthogonal to the sheet-conveying direction to arrange the sheet at a stapling position in the stapler. After stapling, the pull-over cursors move again in a direction orthogonal to the sheet-conveying direction (backward direction in the apparatus) to put the sheet back to the original sheet-conveying position. Therefore, the stapler has an opening section which allows movement of the sheet in two directions: the direction perpendicular to the sheet-conveying direction, and the sheet-conveying direction. The sheet enters the stapler along this opening section. However, there is likelihood that an object other than a sheet enters the stapler through the opening section.